On 1 September in Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan, a 4-year-old boy, out of curiosity, played with a pair of scissors and cut through the power cord of a running electric fan. The moment the wire was cut, sparks flew, frightening the boy, who ran aside. Fortunately, the handles of the scissors were made of plastic and insulated, so he was not injured.

After the incident, the boy’s mother, Ms Li, explained that his kindergarten teacher had recently been teaching the children paper-cutting, and the boy had acted purely out of curiosity. She admitted that the incident had scared her greatly.

Ms Li later reconnected the fan’s cord, and it still works. She also said she will teach her child more about electrical safety in future.